September 22, 2013

It happened to me AGAIN! I only made one block. Gah! In my Modern Stash Bee, we are supposed to make 2 blocks each month and I keep forgetting. No worries though, it isn't late (thank goodness I was early with the other one). I'll be sending this on tomorrow!

September 21, 2013

I would love to share with you about a new learning platform, called Daily Craft TV. The classes I am most interested in are the quilting classes, so I tried one out! String Piecing - 7 ways.

This is a simple technique that can give you so many different results. There were a few that I was aware of, but some that I did not. It's always great to learn of a new way to make blocks.

Now...on to the review!

Going through the checkout process was easy and effortless. I selected String Piecing because of the chance to learn something new. Although there were some patterns that were new to me, it might be disappointing if you are an advanced beginner or higher quilter. The format had a couple of teachers and they talked throughout the video as they showcased the various blocks. It wasn't something I was keen on. I think I would really prefer to just have one instructor. The tone, while casual, almost had too much conversation.

Another observation is the pricing. I am not aware of how the pricing structure is applied, but having watched this one (which was valued at $9.99) and lasted just under an hour, if I had to select again, I would have selected Fresh Quilting Ideas & Design Techniques (which is valued at $4.99) and is just over an hour and a half.

So my advice to you, if you are interested in the class offerings, is to read through all of them and step outside of your comfort zone! I played it safe and should have selected a different class to really be impressed.

September 18, 2013

September 15, 2013

September greeted me with another chance to do a block with HST's. I have recently decided that I like these and have 4 projects going with them now. Kelleighz is our queen this month and she requested this block so that she could put them together and make a quilt for herself. She left it open to us on the color scheme and requested a low volume background.

My favorite HST method is to sew all around the 4 sides and then slice it twice. That didn't really work on this one as a variety of prints was more important, so....I cut out triangles one by one and did it the old fashioned way.

September 10, 2013

and let me tell you about this pattern! It is called Grandma's Lawn Chair created by the talented Diane over at From Blank Pages.

If you are a value shopper, then this pattern is for you! Diane really out did herself on her inaugural pattern as it includes so much!
*3 sizes (baby, toddler and lap)
*Cutting Diagram (useful so you don't have a lot of unused fabric)
*Advanced notes on fat quarter vs. fat eighth fabrics (you can use your stash!)
*Advanced notes on directional prints (this is valuable!) Typically I just don't use directional prints because I don't want to have to think about which way to cut and sew, but this pattern guides you through and makes it easy to accomplish.
*Coloring Page for each size
*Color Variations

So many details that don't always come with patterns, but she has them all. There isn't one extra thing that I would ask for in a pattern. She will be selling these on Craftsy if you would like to pick one up, but......just keep reading, it could be worth your while - I promise!

Have you ever looked at a quilt and wondered how it was put together? That was my first thought when I saw this pattern and it looked complicated. When it "looks" complicated {to me} then I don't do it. I move along to another one but I assure you it is easy to make. Plus, I know Diane, personally and am happy for her as creating patterns has been on her goal list for a little while. It is encouraging to see your friends meet their goals - yeah Diane!

Let's get to it!

I decided to tackle the baby quilt as I had an event coming up for a little one and this would make the perfect gift. The first version of the pattern (for this size) had 7 rows and 5 columns (not counting the background). The newest version has 6 rows and 5 columns. That is one of the great things about this pattern - you can easily add or remove a row or column to suit your project, if necessary.

Printing out the entire pattern is what works best for me so I can mark it all up with fabric choices.

Then on the cutting instructions I also list out which fabrics they apply to. This is really helpful for me to remember which column or row corresponds with which fabric. Especially for this pattern, I would encourage you to do the same.

Once I got everything cut out I was ready to lay it out on my design board. For some reason this step took me a while. I think at this step it would be better to have your phone/tablet in front of you with the colors to use as a guide. What worked for me was to only do one row at a time and cover the remaining rows. After that, it was a breeze to stitch up!

Are you still with me? Remember I said to keep reading. So...do you love it? You have a chance to win it as Diane is offering a free pattern to one of my readers (thank you so much)! All you have to do is comment on this post and answer the following question: What color scheme would you like to make this in?.
I'll pick a random winner this weekend and the pattern will arrive to your email inbox courtesy of Diane Bohn.

September 2, 2013

You know they say, you never know when inspiration is going to strike. Well it jumped up and hit me in the face the other day, as I was unloading the dishwasher. These were the last thing for me to put away, but I stopped for just a minute and you know what, I like this color combo. So much so that I got a photo so I could remember it. I do think I need to have one more color in there (cause even numbers aren't good for fabric choices) but as a base, I love it. And yes, even the chartreuse green. {Note: for my newer readers, I don't like green, at all, ever - just don't}. But....with the navy blue, white and coral, it looks good!

What do you think the 5th color should be to blend this out into a new quilt color scheme?

Jolie Maxtin is a participant in Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertisting fees by advertising and linking to products on Amazon.com, that I find useful.